Scandinavian Design Group

Hansa Borg Christmas Beer

Challenge

Ever since the Viking Age, Norwegians have maintained the tradition of brewing a special beer for Christmas. Every Norwegian beer brand has one or more unique offers around Christmas.
SDG has been working for several years with Hansa Borg Breweries on their complete range and special summer beer. In 2012, Hansa Borg wanted to update the design of their Christmas brand, which was already clean and modern but lacked that special feeling of Christmas and tradition.

Solution

While keeping the connection to their standard range of beers, we added illustrations that clearly communicate Christmas. The Norwegian word for Christmas is "Jul", pronounced "Yule". We opted for an urban setting, showing iconic images of Bergen, Hansa´s hometown. For the "Juleøl" we showed Bergen's main shopping street, decorated for Christmas and covered in snow. For the "Julebrygg" we showed the buildings surrounding the famous Bergen Wharf, also covered in snow. For people from Bergen these images are instantly familiar, while for other Norwegians they give a general feeling of a christmassy Norwegian city. The result is a beer design that declares Christmas on store shelves, yet is elegant enough to look good on a festive dinner table.

The "Juleøl" is the more commercial tasting beer, and hence more closely linked to Hansa's main range of beers, keeping the signature oversized golden H. The "Julebrygg", on the other hand, has a slightly more advanced taste profile, and is rather 'out there' with some of its attributes, yet fits in well with the series.